Wire-bending machine.



H. J. GEER.

WIRE BENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT 28. I915- LIEUQYJLU. Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

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H.J.GEEHL WIRE BENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28,1915- Llfiwfilm Patented Apr. 25,1916.

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SAT I HENRY J. GEEK, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGN OR TO RAFAEL W. BORNN, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, AND JUAN B. BORNN, E HABANA, CUBA, A FIRM DOING BUSINESS AT PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, AND HABANA, GUBA, AS BORNN BROTHERS.

WIRE-BENDING MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY J. GEER, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire- Bending Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for bending wire to form bracelets.

The essential objects of my invention are to construct a machine that will automatically form metallic wire in a manner adapted for use in bracelets, and thus avoid the necessity of bending the wires manually as has heretofore been the case; to provide in such a machine means for adjusting the parts to accommodate the mechanism for forming bracelets of varying lengths; and to attain these ends in a machine that is simple in operation and inexpensive to construct.

To the above ends essentially my invention consists in such parts and combinations of parts as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, Figures 1 and 2 are plan and side elevations of my machine Figs. 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, are plan views of the yoke end of the machine showing various positions of the parts during consecutive operations, the wire supply end being omitted, Fig. 8, a side elevation of the same with the parts in position corresponding to those of Fig. 7 Figs. 9 and 10 end elevations respectively of the two dies taken on lines 9-9 and 10-10 respectively of Fig. 2, Fig. 11, an enlarged detailed view of the upper portion of the guide post, Figs. 12 and 13 plan and front elevations respectively of a complete bracelet, Fig. lt, a plan of the blank after completion, and Figs. 15 and 16 detail views of a bead and a brace respectively.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the views.

In detail my device comprises a base or frame 20 which may be of any form best adapted to carry the operative parts. Fixed near one end of the frame is the standard 22 of a vertical shaft 23 upon which is r0- tatably mounted a wire drum or reel 2 f adapted to receive a coil of wire. Centrally disposed intermediate the length of the base Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, T915.

Serial No. 53,014.

is a post 25 provided with a central bore 26 to receive a telescoping rod 27 provided with a transverse slot 28 in its upper portion, forming lateral cars 29 provided with perforations in alinement with each other to receive a removable retaining pin 31. The space between the pin and the lower portion of the slot is rectangular and of a size to permit a wire rectangular in cross-section to slide loosely therethrough. The rod 27 thus forms a slidable guide post for a wire passing through the slot, insuring that the wire shall not descend an excessive distance toward the base, regardless of the position of the wire upon the drum or reel, and at the same time the angular character of the slide prevents a twisting of any angular wire passing therethrough.

Upon the end of the frame opposite the drum is a standard 33 having a flat top bearing face 34 from which rises a stud 36. Pivotally mounted upon the stud 36 and resting upon the standard 34: is a yoke 37 comprising a body 38 through which the stud passes, and arms 39 and 40 which radiate upwardly at diametrically opposite points from the body or central portion. The ends of the arms 39 and 40 are extended at their ends as at 43 and 44: respectively and are provided with fiat top faces 4E5 and 46. In the face L5 are a plurality, in the present instance three, of vertical cavities 4:8, and in the face 46 are similar cavities 49. A post 50 is also fixed in the latter face. A thin substantially rectangular plate 52 is provided at its lower forward corner with a depending pin 53, and in its top face with a longitudinally disposed slot 55, forming vertical parallel ears 56, as shown in Fig. 9, provided with perforations 57 to receive a removable pin 58 at some distance above the lower portion of the slot, whereby a restricted rectangular passage for the wire is afforded when the pin is in position. The pin 53 is rotatable in one of the cavities T9 of the arm l0, and the die or plate 52 is capable of being manually swung upon the pivot and by means of a laterallyextending handle or pin 60 fixed in the side of the plate. This plate has a preferably rounded forward edge face provided with a cut away portion or cavity 62. As the cavities 49 are in longitudinal alinement with the post 50, the plate 52 is normally in longitudinal alinement with the post 50, and it is in alinement with the slot 28 of the post 27.

A second die or forming plate 64 has a substantially flat rectangular contour. It has at its lower rear corner a depending pin or projection 65 that fits loosely in one of the cavities 48. The upper edge or face of the plate isprovided with a longitudinal slot 67 in which is fitted a second plate 68 held in positoin by a pin 69. The latter plate projects rearwardly from the plate 64, and is of less thickness whereby are produced resultant shoulders 72, as shown in Fig. 3. The upper outer corner of the plate 68 is cut away to form a seat or shoulder 73. The plate 61 is vertically adjustable in the arm 39 by means of a set screw 75 in a threaded opening 76 in said plate frictionally engaging the -pin 65.

In performing the bending operations by which a bracelet may be formed a coil 77 of metallic wire 78, preferably of precious or plated metal, is placed upon the drum 24. This wire which is preferably rectangular in cross-section, but not essentially of such a cross-sectional contour, is either placed or threaded loosely into the slot 28 in the guide post 27, where it is held against upward escape by the pin 31. This wire as shown in Fig. 3 is laid in the slot of the member 52 after the retaining pin 58 has been removed to permit this. To make it possible to lay the wire in this slot it is first necessary by means of the handle to turn the member 52 at an angle relatively to the path of the wire 78, in order not to interfere with the post 50 whose center is in said path, A length of wire 79 is allowed to project beyond the rear of the member 52. The next operation, as shown in Fig. 4 is to manually turn the member 52 by its handle 60 back into original normal position in longitudinal alinement with the post 50 thereby imparting an initial bend 80 to that portion of the wire 78 which is in contact with the post 50. The yoke 37 is then manually revolved in the direction of the hands of a "clock a half revolution to the position shown in Fig. 5. This forms a complete loop 81 around the post 50, which loop was initiated by the original bend 80.

'The described half revolution forms a longitudinal leg 82 in the material of the wire 7 8, the portion 82 resting upon the lateral projection 69, and against an outer face of the member 64. The rotation of the yoke is next manually continued another half revolution bringing the parts into position shown in Fig. 6 whereby the material of the wire is bent into a loop 83 around the plate 68, the end of said loop resting in the cavity 73. The last described semi-rotation of the yoke forms a second wire leg 84: resting upon the opposlte projection or pin end 69, and passlng in contact with the side of the member 52. The wire 78 is next severed a short distance from the post 52 leaving a suiiiciently long end as shown in broken lines in Fig. 6, to form a binding loop 85 as shown in Figs. 7 and 8 upon the end of the leg 81. The cavity 62 in the member 52 is purposed to allow ample room between the post and said member to permit the severed end to be swung around therebetween in the formation of the loop 85.

It is found advantageous to supplement the operation of the described mechanism by the following manipulations. As soon as the loop 81 is formed the jaws of a curved jaw pair of pliers are applied to the loop, and are compressed to make the loop more exactly conform to the post or anvil 50. The initial loop 83 is more perfectly completed by the use of a pair of fiat-j aw pliers whereby the loop is tightly compressed against the plate 68.

The free wire member or resultant tongue 79 of the described parts is purposed to receive a plurality of beads 87 which are threaded on this tongue through their eyes 88. At intervals during the threading of the beads rectangular spacers or braces 89 may be slid over the legs 82 and 84. After the bracelet length has been filled with beads the free end of the tongue 7 S) is bent in a loop 90 around the loop 83. The bracelet is completed by bending the loop 83 into a hook and bending the body of the blank into circular form as shown in Figs. 12 and 13 wherein the hook is shown engaging the loop 81.

It is obvious that the capacity of the machine for forming bracelets is not limited to the identical bends and construction of bracelet herein shown, but the machine is primarily purposed for this particular construction because of the great diiliculties heretofore experienced and the expense in volved in attempting to make this type of bracelet bv hand.

If the wire becomes axially twisted to any extent during the operation the resulting bracelet frame is apt to be distorted somewhat. Therefore the best results are attained by cross-sectionally angular wire which is prevented from axial movement by means of the angular slots in the forming dies of the machine.

What I claim is 1. In a wire bending machine for bracelets, the combination with the base, of a coil support rotatably mounted on the base, a tubular post on the base in line with the support, a rod slidably mounted in the post, provided with a guide slot in its end face, a yoke rotatably mounted on the base in line with the post and opposite the support, and forming dies on the yoke.

2. In a wire bending machine for bracelets, the combination with the base, of a hollow post on the base, a rod slidably mounted in the post and projecting therefrom and provided with a slot in its end face angular in cross-section, a yoke on the base adjacent the slot, and spaced wire-forming plates on the yoke.

3. In a wire bending machine for bracelets, the combination with the base, of a yoke rotatably mounted on the base comprising upwardly directed arms disposed in alinement with each other, a vertical mandrel on the end of one arm, a flat forming plate on said arm in alinement with the mandrel, and a vertical forming plate on the end of the second arm.

4.. In a wire bending machine for bracelets, the combination with the base, of a yoke rotatably mounted on the base comprising upwardly directed arms in alinement with each other, a vertical mandrel on the end of one arm, a flat forming plate rotatably mounted at its lower forward end in said arm adjacent and in alinement with the mandrel, and provided in its top with a longitudinally disposed slot, and a vertical forming plate on the second arm of the yoke provided with a longitudinally disposed slot, in alinement with the first-mentioned slot, and a flat extension upon the last-mentioned plate of less thickness than said plate.

In a wire bending machine for bracelets, the combination with the base, of a yoke rotatably mounted on the base comprising oppositely directed arms, a vertical. mandrel on one arm, a forming plate rotatably mounted on said arm adjacent the mandrel and in alinement therewith, and provided with a longitudinal slot, a forming plate on the second arm provided with a longitudinal slot in alinement with the first plate, and a relatively thin extension upon the second plate in alinement with said mandrel and provided with a notch in its extremity.

6. In a wire bending machine for bracelets, the combination with the base, of a yoke rotatably mounted on the base comprising upwardly directed arms in alinement with each other provided with end faces, the end faces being provided in each instance with a vertical cavity, a vertical mandrel in one face adjacent the cavity, a flat forming plate on said face, a cylindrical projection at one end of the plate seated in said cavity, a second forming plate, a cylindrical projection on the second plate extending into the cavity in the second face, means in the second arm for clamping the cylindrical projection of the second plate, and a fiat extension upon the second plate provided with a notch.

7. In a wire bending machine for bracelets, the combination with the base, of a yoke rotatably mounted on the base comprising spaced arms in alinement with each other, each of said arms being provided with a plurality of vertical cavities in alinement with each other, a mandrel fixed in one face in. alinement with the adjacent cavities, a plate resting on said face, a cylindrical extension on said plate entering one of the cavities, a forming plate on the second face, a cylindrical extension on the second plate entering one of the cavities of the second plate, and a fiat extension on said plate.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

HENRY J GEEK.

maples of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or lE'atenta, Washington, D. C. 

